Hard Frame Review
Hunters Are For Killing was a well-above-average made-for-television feature, a production of Cinema Center films from the first full-blown wave of that hybrid genre. And on this particular picture, it looked like the makers were really on to something. With a cast that (except for its up-and-coming star, Burt Reynolds) was still mostly identified with feature films, Hunters Are For Killing looked sensational in 1970, and struck an ideal balance between character development and action. There is also a certain amount of topicality at work, which still seems valid when seen 40 years later -- generations at war, and truths untold between them that have terrible consequences for those concerned. Melvyn Douglas is outstanding in an unusually unpleasant role, stealing every scene he's in with his quiet power and authority as an actor, with Suzanne Pleshette and Martin Balsam only a few paces behind him, and Burt Reynolds holds his own in their company, itself an achievement for the young leading man. A. Martinez and Larry Storch are also good in their parts, and apart from its other virtues, the photography and story take full advantage of what the Napa wine country of California has to offer visually and dramatically. And there's a first-rate, richly textured score by Jerry Fielding that is not only good listening in its own right (a soundtrack CD was issued in 2010), but gets inside the characters' psychology as well. In all, it was a great night's viewing in 1970 and still holds up 40 years on -- we can only wish for a DVD release. Bruce Eder, Rovi
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